Ferguson Case Dismissed Amongst Riot Chaos

A Federal judge dismissed the $40 million suit against Ferguson, Missouri police for accused brutality against rioters.

The case was heard on Monday which had been brought to court by the protesters who had come together following the death of Michael Brown.

U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey ruled in favor of the Missouri Police force, claiming that the protesters did not have sufficient evidence to prove police brutality had played a factor during the riots or the Michael Brown case.

The riots in Ferguson, Missouri took place in August of 2014, after Michael Brown was killed by police officer Darren Wilson.

The presiding judge and nine other plaintiffs agreed there was no credible evidence to prove that excessive force was used by police officers concerning the death of Brown.

In fact, prosecutors found that Brown had tried to take the police officer’s gun away from him, and was shot after trying to charge the officer.

The decision of the court comes at an interesting time as rioting in Charlotte, North Carolina slowly dies back down from the death of another man black man at the hands of police.

That case too was argued as police brutality, but was also found to be in self-defense by the officer.

The rioting in Charlotte has been similar to the so-called “protesting” in Ferguson. The looting of stores, lighting of fires, and destruction of property were all carried out in both situations.

However, the rioters in Ferguson went so far as to claim the police force had acted aggressively towards their “protests”, saying the anti-rioters used tear gas, riot gear, used rubber bullets, and even made supposed illegal arrests.

The Daily Caller Reports:

“Autrey dismissed those allegations, saying protesters had been given ample warnings to leave, but chose to ignore them. Autrey also gave the officers involved in the lawsuit immunity from any legal consequences.”

“Autrey also stated that the protesters were told to leave repeatedly, and when they did not disband, the officers were ordered to make arrests.”

The rioting in both Charlotte, NC and Ferguson, MO went on for days, and people were terrified to leave their homes. Businesses were set on fire, cars vandalized, and people were severely injured in some cases.

One of the protestors in Ferguson, Tracey White, lied about being arrested inside a McDonald’s restaurant with her son. She claimed she was also called racial slurs and that a police officer held her down with his knee on her back. But in actuality, camera footage proved she was arrested a block away with no evidence of violence.

Another plaintiff, Dwayne A. Matthews Jr., said he was pepper sprayed and shot with rubber bullets on his way to his mother’s house, but paramedic records show no indication of bruising or harm to the facial area or lungs compliant with his story.

Matthews’ attorney, Gregory Lattimer, expressed his disappointment in the ruling, claiming it was unfair and that the law had not been applied correctly to the situation.

The Daily Caller Reports:

“This is a battle we will keep fighting. We will end it in the right way and get justice for these people,” Lattimer said.

The group of protesters have already decided to appeal their case and will do so as soon as they can.

What are your thoughts? Did the protesters have any right to make a case for police brutality when they were the ones rioting and committing violence?